In computer networks it is often advantageous to provide a distributed computer system consisting of multiple computers which work with each other in an automated and controlled manner, in order to improve system reliability or increase system performance, for instance, when compared to a single computer effecting similar functionality.
A key requirement for such distributed computing systems is the need to maintain communication links between the individual computers, which are commonly referred to as servers. Frequently this is accomplished by creating a mesh of connections whereby each server has a link to every other server in the group or cluster manifesting the distributed system, but this is often impractical due to the large number of links for even moderately sized clusters.
Known problems concerning the communications infrastructure to link the various servers include:
1) Discovery of servers; PA1 2) Minimizing link cost; PA1 3) Ensuring reliability; PA1 4) Avoiding looping; PA1 5) Minimizing link establishment time; and PA1 6) Implementation and administrative complexity.
A technique that solves one or more of these problems is desirable.